Ankle-brace.



PATENTED JULY 12, 1904.

H. LUEGK. ANKLE BRAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED rm N0 MODEL.

N VE N TOR finry -Z 240013 UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

HENRY LUEOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HENRY F. KOCH, OF

' BROOKLYN, N E'W YORK.

ANKLE-BRACE- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,024, dated J uly 12, 1904,

Application filed February 8, 1904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LUECK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Ankle- Brace, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to those ankle-braces which are adapted to be applied to shoes and intended to assist children in keeping their ankles straight when learning to walk and afterward until the ankles acquire their sufficient strength, and may also be worn by any and all persons having weak or injured ankles.

The present invention resides in the peculiar arrangement of combined cushioning and strengthening pads with respect to the shoe so that the brace or supporter may be used or not at will and when used forms a corset-like or elastic inclosure for the ankle.

This specification is an exact description of one example of my invention, while the claims define the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views 7 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention with parts broken away, showing one of the bracing-pads in place. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the shoe, showing the pads therein; and Fig. 3 is a detail View of one of the pads.

The shoe is constructed with a pocket a at each side thereof. These pockets may be constructed in any desired manner in the lining of the shoe and may communicate at the back a of the shoe or may be separated, if desired, by a line of stitching, asthe drawings show. (See Fig.- 2.) At the inner side of the top of the shoe a flap b is located, this flap extending downward over the mouth of the said pocket or pockets at and having eyelets b, registering with the eyelets of the shoe, through which the lacing may be passed to hold the flap down in active position. By relaxing the $erial1lo.192,630. (No model.)

strain on the lacing the flap may be raised up,

as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1, and thus permit access to be readily had to 5 the interior of the pockets.

Two of the bracing-pads are provided for each shoe, these being located one at each side within the pocket or pockets (0. These pads comprise cushions c and whalebone or other elastic strips (Z and cl. These parts are incased in a suitable covering of cloth or other fabric, and the whole is stitched or otherwise secured together in any desired manner. The whalebone strips (Z extend from the upper edges of the cushions c upward to the top of the pads, and the single strip cl of each pad extends from the top downward to the lower extremity, considerably below the lower edge of the cushion c, this strip d being covered by 5 the cloth casing of the pad, as shown. This strip forms a leg or support to sustain the pads in the proper position, which is effected by the engagement of the lower ends of the strip d with the insole .of the shoe, as Fig. 1 illus- 7 trates. In this manner the pads are kept with the cushion 0 directly opposite the ankle-bones, so as to prevent cramping the wearer at this point, while the elastic strips (Z and (Z lie around the ankle and are held snugly against the same by the shoe, thus constituting an elastic brace and support at this point. By this means the weakened ankle is strengthened and assisted, as before explained.

It is clear that the pads may be removed from their pockets whenever desired and the shoe used as an ordinary article of footwear.

ions may be filled with any cushioning material, such as hair, water, air, or a medical substance for the treatment of diseases.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An ankle support or brace, comprising a pad having a cushion, a series of elastic strips arranged above the same, an additional elastic strip extending from above the cushion downward below the same, and a common covering for said parts.

2. An ankle support or brace comprising a pad havinga cushion, an elastic bracing member, said cushion and bracing member lying in essentially the same plane, and a covering common to both of said parts.

3. An ankle support or brace comprisinga pad having a cushion, a series of elastic strips constituting bracing members, said cushion and strips lying in essentially the same place, and a covering common to the strips and cushion.

L. A shoe provided with two separate pockets located one at each side thereof, two separate pads removably located in the pockets, comprising each a cushion, an elastic bracing member, and a covering common to the cushion and bracing member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY LUECK.

Witnesses:

ISAAC B. OWENS, EVERARD BoL'roN MARsHALL. 

